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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

It’s that time of year, where I face a legitimate heavy metal Sophie’s Choice and somehow narrow all of the extreme releases I’ve enjoyed this year down to 50. 2014 treated me beautifully, with my very first screenplay sale, a continuing dream gig at Decibel Magazine, my own column dedicated to independent bands at About Heavy Metal, and several other projects I’ll discuss in more detail soon. I KNOW YOU CAN’T WAIT. But for now, it’s time to celebrate the end of the year the way journalists and critics know best: LISTS.

There are a slew of truly solid albums not listed here, and honestly, my rankings have fluctuated nearly every day for the past two months since I handed in my initial Top 40 list to the editors at Decibel Magazine. I have no doubt that if I look at this list in another year or decade, hell, even another week, the rankings could shift and shuffle depending on my mood, the cereal I eat, how crowded the subway is that morning, etc. Feel free to inform me how lousy my selections are, how overrated band A is, how album B is obviously the top selection of the year, and how I’ve terribly under-represented genre C.

2014 Top 50 Metal Albums of the Year

1. YAITW – When Life Comes to Death

2. Horrendous – Ecdysis

3. Drunk Dad – Ripper Killer

4. Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden

5. Morbus Chron – Sweven

6. Thou – Heathen

7. YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascend

8. Nux Vomica – S/T

9. Cripple Bastards – Nero in Metastasi

10. Bastard Feast – Osculum Inflame

11. Black Anvil – Hail Death

12. Septicflesh – Titan

13. Midnight – No Mercy for Mayhem

14. Vallenfyre – Splinters

15. Giant Squid – Minoans

16. Coffin Dust – The Cemetery, My Kingdom

17. Down – IV: Part Two

18. Atriarch – An Unending Pathway

19. The Skull – For Those Which Are Asleep

20. Wo Fat – The Conjuring

21. Eyehategod – S/T

22. Sea of Bones – The Earth Wants Us Dead

23. Trap Them – Blissfucker

24. Incantation – Dirges of Elysium

25. Orange Goblin – Back From the Abyss

26. Triptykon – Melana Chasmata

27. Anguish – Mountain

28. Baptists – Bloodmines

29. Tombs – Savage Gold

30. Opeth – Pale Communion

31. Torch Runner – Endless Nothing

32. Couch Slut – My Life as a Woman

33. Funerary – Starless Aeons

34. Wild Throne – Blood Maker

35. Mutilation Rites – Harbinger

36. Bongripper – Miserable

37. Gatecreeper – S/T

38. Dead Congregation – Promulgation of the Fall

39. The Oath – S/T

40. Secret Cutter – S/T

41. Cult Leader – Nothing For Us Here

42. Godflesh – A World Lit Only by Fire

43. At the Gates – At War with Reality

44. Gurt – Horrendosaurus

45. Drawers – S/T

46. Atta – S/T

47. The Atlas Moth – The Old Believer

48. Vampire – S/T

49. Agalloch – The Serpent and the Sphere

50. 1349 – Massive Cauldron of Chaos

If you haven’t checked it out yet, go buy issue #123 of Decibel Magazine, where the whole staff selects the Top 40 Extreme Albums of the Year.

You can also check out a few of my other picks for the year listed on the 2014 Heavy Metal Awards atAbout Heavy Metal.

Check
out all the other lists popping up around this time also and feel free
to send Tweets about my questionable metal taste over to@MisterGrowl.

Monday, July 7, 2014

So it’s been, um, MONTHS since I last updated Mister Growl. The absence was necessary, I swear. This site was originally hatched to be little more than a portfolio of musings about extreme music and a chance to gush about my favorite albums of the day/week/month/millennium. Now that I’m able to cover great bands in Decibel Magazine each month (and with About.com and Girls and Corpses Magazine, when time allows), this site will cover my various writing projects and absolutely reek of shameless self-promotion. But, you know, reek in a good way.

Back in February I agreed to option my screenplay The Post-Ironic Hipster Massacre with an ambitious new production company based in the UK. The script had ranked in the top 100 entries at Scriptapalooza and after discussions with the producers I agreed to re-write the script, changing the setting from Brooklyn to London. The project is still in pre-production, but with the talent currently attached I feel great about the future of my silly, bloody, satirical slasher film.

I also recently finished the rough draft of a “heavy metal coloring book” illustrated by the unfairly talented Ellie Shvaiko. Without giving too much away, it’s a gruesome version of a popular fairy tale complete with monsters, warriors, and a plague that makes buttholes explode and turn inside-out. The title: 130 Dead Kids. More on that soon.

On the screenwriting front, I am nearing completion of drafts for two horror scripts I’m co-writing with awesome collaborators. My brother and I are working together on a haunted house/possession/zombie script tentatively called Appraising the Dead. I’m obviously biased, but it absolutely blows The Conjuring and its ilk out of the water in terms of creativity and kills. I’m also collaborating with screenwriter/playwright/actor Scott Langer on an exciting new project. The Last Birthday (working title) is a story split into halves: Mr. Langer sets up an intriguing premise with gritty humor and sharp dialogue, and I tear the world apart with surreal horror and gore.

Apart from pieces in Decibel Magazine, I also have a selection of poetry lined up for the next issue of Kung-Fu Breakfast. The issue - named “Beyond the Nude” - will focus on perceptions of nudity, sexuality, and the human form. My poems are based on my experiences as a patron of exotic dance establishments, and the collection is called “Dance With a Thousand Names.”

Lots more on the way, including the possibility of a short story collection and a better-late-than-never review of Maryland Deathfest for Girls and Corpses Magazinewith my inebriated and uncensored thoughts on the event. Enjoy yourselves, fellow scumbags.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The last time I heard from Bill Robinson it was a pleasant message of appreciation for reviewing an album by his other band from Chattanooga, Oxxen. Now snarling and blasting out dangerous feedback with Red Necklace as well, Robinson and Patrick Wilkey - who provides drums and “hellfire,” according to Facebook - carve out four songs from forty minutes of thick riffage and thundering drums.

Starting with the glacial crawl of “Repression of the Snake,” Red Necklace’s eponymous debut album fuses the swampy danger of Primitive Man and the bombastic noise of Behoover, then covers it all with a wintery mix of muddy slush and ice. It’s entirely possible that I’m projecting my own brutal New York February onto these songs, but they possess glacial qualities, in my frostbitten mind. When it comes to doom duos, there’s usually an enormous responsibility on the drummer to punctuate riffs that, without percussive accompaniment, risk feeling like distortion swelling and flickering as a freeform passage. Wilkey particularly shines on “The Swarm,” guiding the song down smoky corridors in some frigid basement labyrinth with confident fills while strengthening structural integrity.

But doom’s success is eventually determined by the mood and attitude of its riffs. Red Necklace grazes various subgenres (Sleep’s bouncy, bong-worshipping stoner doom; the texture of Evoken’s foggy, funereal epics; the grimy sludge of NOLA’s various musical outlaws), but emerges from the album with their own stamp on a genre, matching impressive kineticism with riffs that never feel derivative. The songs occasionally thaw during gentler moments of morose tones and shimmering cymbals, but it’s really just spilled blood momentarily melting the ice. Robinson’s rasp and blackened blues riffs transform 40 minutes into an experience that builds upon well-known metallic foundations (hell, parts of “Repression of the Snake” even feel like “Enter Sandman” at times, if the Sandman was dressed in fresh pelts) and stomps forward with a black boot.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

So, Mister Growl wasn’t updated for a while, and this is why: Writing assignments from Decibel Magazine, Kung Fu Breakfast, About.com Heavy Metal, and Girls & Corpses Magazine were all released in the last 2 weeks. Here are two issues of Kung Fu Breakfast with great material from their roster of inspired, unstable artists:

ISSUE #15 - THE STAR WARS CHRISTMAS REDUX

First of all, look at that amazing cover. That’s the sort of art that makes it easy to admit I was an obsessive Star Wars fan through about ninth grade, when I stumbled into Suffocation, Skinless, and Cannibal Corpse. I have a love sonnet written from the point of Salacious Crumb, Jabba’s cackling enslaved jester, along with a little drawing of the same character. There’s great stuff in this issue, especially for sci-fi fans. Does include nudity. Hopefully that makes you want to download it more.

I was concerned I wouldn’t have much inspiration for this one (being an American with ties to only Scottish and Irish ancestry that are several generations past), but I wrote a story of the tragic life of a prison tattoo artist called “Ouroboros.” There’s a beautiful featured piece from Jess Towne, as well as superlative work from Jay Kantor, Caitlin Anne, and Robert Gullie, in his KFB debut. I must warn that there’s nudity and fetish photography included, because it bothers some people to be surprised by that stuff.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Hey, strangers! Decibel Magazine issue #112 has been out for a few weeks, and #113 will ship out to subscribers in 7-10 days. All you really need to know is this: LEMMY. J. Bennett does an amazing feature on the iconic frontman, and learns us all something important about blueberries -- there is such a thing as too many. Along with the “20 Most Anticipated Albums of 2014,” a Hall of Fame piece on Opeth’s Blackwater Park, and a great “Call & Response” from Mogwai vocalist Stuart Braithewaite. After all that, I have a few pieces in there cluttering the pages as well:

Page 32: Satan’s Wrath - Aeon’s of Satan’s Reign profile. Stamos and Danazaglou gave me awesomely intense answers in an interview that skewered modern metal, ultra-serious metal minions, and flip-flops. The album’s fun as hell, even though it’s “the same shit” as Galloping Blasphemy, according to Danazaglou.

Page 83: Grave - Morbid Ascent review. An EP for completists, it still has some great, filthy death metal. Sliced off a few points for a mediocre cover of Satyricon’s “Possessed,” but overall this should fulfill the blood lust of rabid fans of the Swedish death merchants. I gave it 8/10.

Page 83: Great Falls - Accidents Grotesque review. A challenging, noisy, and ultimately invigorating release. If you like Dillinger Escape Plan and Jesus Lizard, give this menace a shot. Plus, Decibel scribe Shane Mehling plays bass, and he runs the crucial “Needle Exchange” column, making it a mandatory feature in each issue. I gave it 7/10.

Friday, December 20, 2013

The transcendental, transformative mystique of road tripping is alive and well in America. Popularized by Jack Kerouac and the Beats, the lure of the road and thrill of being a stranger in a strange place still inspires wanderlust to this day. Vlogger Ella Eranthis was kind enough to take some time to discuss her series of videos with me, and answer some questions about her documented adventures. Read on for her thoughts on hauntings, extra-terrestrial life, and her Jurassic Park survival tactics:

Mister Growl: For those unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your travel videos and vlog?

Ella Eranthis: A very colorful compilation of travel sights, hopefully with a feeling of actually being there for anyone who watches.

Mister Growl: I described your videos to a friend as No Reservations (with Anthony Bourdain) meets Green Porno (with Isabella Rosselini), with the trippy camerawork of a Darren Aronofsky film. Who are some of your creative inspirations?

Ella Eranthis: I love your description, thank you! For as long as I can remember Brigitte Bardot was my inspiration. I am drawn to her love for animals and life in general. Some things she says I don’t agree with, but I love her movies. Other than that I watch Youtube videos all the time - I think online video is a completely different medium and will eventually become as powerful as movies and TV, but will always be different.

Mister Growl: In your most recent video you visited a supposedly haunted hotel in New Orleans. Did anyone at the hotel share a backstory on the hauntings?

Ella Eranthis: I was creating my video all the time and did not speak to anyone, only when ordering room service. If I ever stay there again I must ask someone. I have my own experience - I definitely sensed something different there, and some strange energy all the time.

Mister Growl: New Orleans happens to be the home of some of my favorite bands (such as Eyehategod, Acid Bath, Goatwhore, and Soilent Green), but I’ve never visited before. Did you get a chance to see much more of the city, and what were you thoughts?

Ella Eranthis: I have Acid Bath’s “Scream of the Butterfly” on my iPod and it is hauntingly beautiful ...must check out the other bands. I saw a lot of New Orleans and filmed almost entire French Quarter and Canal Street. This video will be posted soon. Some of the footage looks gothic and haunted, it’s all dark with lanterns. I was amazed at the beauty of this city. I want to go back there and film some more! What I noticed is that people are incredibly sharp in New Orleans; very intuitive. They figure out quickly what you might want to buy or order and it’s so right on. They are less pragmatic, more intuitive.

Mister Growl: Another video of your Louisiana trip showed you cuddling with a baby alligator, and you later shoot footage of watching sharks in an aquarium. Do you have pets of your own, and are they deadly predators?

Ella Eranthis: Not at the moment because I travel so much. If I wanted one it would probably be a dog or a cat or both. But I love all animals and am very curious about creatures who live in the water. The experience of holding the alligator was unusual. I was surprised how much I connected with it. I held it in my arms and it looked into my eyes and I felt a connection. The alligator had strange, surprisingly soulful eyes and was vulnerable and friendly and I felt it was up to me to take care of it.

Mister Growl: You had previously stayed in another hotel with some suspicious, possibly supernatural occurrences. Are you just a ghost magnet, and have you had prior experiences with phantoms?

Ella Eranthis: Ha ha! I would love to be a ghost magnet; the videos I could make then! But my experiences were very mild compared to what other people described when describing paranormal experiences. Well... it was a little weird when the elevator button switched on its own.... but I would have to say – no, I am still waiting for that ghost...

Mister Growl: My favorite videos were focused on Area 51, sharing another instance of your fascination with the unknown. Do you personally think there are other life forms waiting for us in space, or possibly living amongst us on Earth?

Ella Eranthis: I really don't know. We have Earth and here we have life so it is possible there are other planets with life – the universe is huge. Many people reported seeing strange things and I believe them. But the first thought that came to me when I read your question was: It would be sad if aliens were living on our planet because what that would mean their own planet is unlivable. If that is the case we humans need to watch what we do to our planet.

Mister Growl: How did you first become interested in travel, and what was your first vacation?

Ella Eranthis: My first vacation took place when I was only few months old - literally an infant - my parents took a car trip through Europe. It’s probably not recommended for infants, but somehow here I am addicted to it today. I wake up every day and want to go somewhere to experience something new.

Mister Growl: In most of the videos you’re traveling alone. Do you think people experience a place more completely when they experience it without others?

Ella Eranthis: I think it depends on a person. We are all different. Some people see more while talking to others and some are more observant when alone. For me, yes - I like to travel on my own, I really do what I want to then, and it’s also a journey within, and I have more focus because there is no company to distract. But in a way I do not completely travel alone; I make videos and post them and read all the feedback and observations of others, and it isn’t a completely isolated experience then. I think maybe an answer is good balance - do some sightseeing on your own when you travel with someone or a group would be my advice.

Mister Growl: I noticed you rented Jurassic Park when you were visiting Area 51, and obviously you would travel to the island to see the dinosaurs if you could. Do you think you’d survive Jurassic Park, or would you be a Tyrannosaurus snack?

Ella Eranthis: LOL! I would survive! I have very good intuition.

Mister Growl: If you could visit any place tomorrow where would you go and what would you do?

Ella Eranthis: To Hawaii to scuba dive with dolphins and to film them underwater.

Mister Growl: You mention that Hollywood is “a place where a lot of weird people make a lot of money by pretending to be somebody else.” Who would play Ella Eranthis in a Hollywood film?

Mister Growl: On your Youtube channel you mention that you have a special holiday video on the way. What are your goals for the future, and what else can your fans expect in 2014?

Ella Eranthis: They can expect plenty more adventure. I will travel to many more places in 2014 and to other continents. My goal is to put more places in videos and show the beauty of this planet and hopefully inspire someone out there to take a trip too and to be more adventurous about life!

Many thanks to Ella for taking the time and giving us insight into her travels. Plus, she has Acid Bath on her iPod, how could the metal community not support her? With multiple experiences with hauntings, a hunger for exploration, and an appreciation for Dax Riggs’ sultry voice, she is the exact sort of modern-day adventurer metalheads can identify with and learn from.